The liver is one of the most essential parts of your body because it helps you digest the food you eat, store your energy, and remove poisons from your body. Fatty liver is a disease in which fats build up in your body. Let me tell you the types of fatty liver disease:
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is also called alcoholic steatohepatitis,
In this article, I will tell you about grades 1 and 2 of fatty liver and highlight the disease’s symptoms and treatment. In addition, I will tell you the life expectancy with fatty liver disease with some statistics and symptoms of this disease.
If you have been diagnosed with this disease and haven’t found any treatment, don’t worry. I cover all these things in my article.
What is a Fatty Liver?
When you analyze that fat builds up in your liver and it is hurting your organs, this disease is known as Fatty liver disease. If it is in the initial stage, it will not hurt you, but there is no guarantee that this disease will not cause a problem in the first stage.
The risk factors included in this disease are drinking plenty of alcohol, eating a lot of fat, being overweight, and having diabetes mellitus. If you are wondering can fatty liver cause kidney problems, then yes, this disease will also lead to kidney problems over time.
Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment of Grade 1
It is the form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the initial stage of this disease, and you can say it is the Grade 1 stage. It is also called hepatic steatosis, which means your liver cells in the body contain a small amount of fat right now. In this Grade 1 stage, this fat didn’t create any cause or symptoms, and it will indicate the sign of disease.
Causes of Grade 1
These are some of the causes you should consider during this stage.
- Poor diet:
The first reason for this disease is a poor diet. It means that when you eat a lot of crab, sweets, and saturated fats, your liver stores this fat.
- Resistance insulin
This disease is integrated into being overweight. It will not respond to insulin because cells become less sensitive, and the liver creates more glucose and keeps glucose and fat in your body.
- Rapid weight loss
A worse diet and sudden weight loss will probably worsen your liver. Weight loss must be slow and healthy.
- Syndrome metabolic
When your blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and cholesterol go up simultaneously, the disease rises.
- Triglycerides high
The liver creates triglycerides but will work too hard if you create too many. If there are high Triglycerides in your blood, then it will make the liver fat.
- Few Drugs
Corticosteroids, chemotherapy, and antiviral drugs are also reasons for this disease because they build fat in your liver.
- High alcohol consumption
If you consume high amounts of alcohol, it will cause a disease known as alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is not similar to grade 1.
- Genetics.
Your genes also cause this disease. A few people are suffering from this disease while maintaining a healthy diet.
Signs and Symptoms
Elevated Triglycerides
Fatigue: Feeling tired and lacking energy
Mild Abdominal Discomfort: Feeling heaviness and discomfort in the upper right corner of the Abdomen.
Unexplained Weight Gain: Sudden weight gain
Elevated Blood Sugar: Increases thirst and often urination.
General Malaise: Feeling not well without any cause.
These are some signs of fatty liver disease, Grade 1.
Fatty Liver Treatment Grade 1
- You must take a balanced, nutritious, healthy diet containing all foods, including fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats.
- People must balance and control their weight by eating a balanced diet and doing physical activities like running, strength training, and low-intensity workouts.
- If you are an alcoholic addict, you must avoid or try to leave it because taking alcohol will worsen your situation.
- The doctors suggest that individuals control their blood sugar through medication, exercise, and diet.
- If needed, the individual must control and manage cholesterol and Triglycerides through exercise and medication.
- Some doctors recommend a few medications in Grade 1 of this disease stage, so you must take that medication.
- Secure your liver by getting vaccinated against hepatitis A and B.
What is Grade 2 Fatty Liver?
This marks the progression of this disease to a moderate stage. When an individual has grade 2 liver disease, they should carefully evaluate the following signs:
They experience steatosis, which builds fat in the liver cells.
Another sign is the ballooning of hepatocytes, which means they will lose their triangular shape and swell up if you suffer from this disease. However, the ratio of this sign is higher in the level 3 stage, in which the liver is near the central veins.
- Intralobular inflammation:
The lobules are working units of the liver, and their look is very small and similar to hexagons. Various kinds of liver cells create them. The inflammation will be seen in the lobules if you are in the grade 2 stage.
- Mild to mild portal inflammation:
The inflammation in the portal veins of the body becomes low to moderate if an individual is in the grade 2 stage.
Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment of Fatty Liver Grade 2
After discussing everything related to the Grade 1 stage, I will tell you about the Grade 2 stage. What are the signs, symptoms, and treatments to prevent this stage? So, keep reading it below.
Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease, Grade 2
Medical workers often say that this disease is also called silent disease. It means that there are few or no signs of this disease. If a person has this disease of high stage, then there might not be a sign. A person probably feels sleep disturbance, tiredness, and pain in the right side of the abdomen.
- Thirst
- Bloating
- Sleep disturbances
These are some symptoms of a fatty liver. The disease also assists a person with cirrhosis disease, which is scary for life because, in the future, the liver will get damaged because of it.
Symptoms of cirrhosis include:
- Itchy skin
- Nausea
- Memory problems
- Loss of appetite
- Jaundice
- Fluid buildup in the abdomen
- Vomiting
- Easy bleeding
Causes for grade 2 fatty liver disease
The professional and medical experts didn’t find much about the causes of this disease in Grade 2. But I am mentioning below some causes that make a person more likely to get it. If you think that consuming alcohol causes this disease, then medical experts say that this situation is known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
For a person who consumes so much Alcohol, this condition is known as alcohol-related liver disease. These are the statements of medical experts.
Some factors and causes make a person more likely to develop this fatty liver disease.
- Obesity
- Maybe resistant to insulin and diabetes type 2
- A large number of triglycerides are in the blood, and the cholesterol level is abnormal, like the high total cholesterol values.
Treatments for Grade Fatty Liver Disease
According to professional doctors, a person must balance and maintain weight. If your weight is too high, try to lose it because it will also help you decrease.
- Inflammation
- Liver Scarring
- Liver Fat
How do you get rid of fatty liver? Here are some steps that can help you lose weight:
- Do physical exercise regularly
- Make healthy food choices
- Limit the size of portions
If a person reduces 3 to 5% of their weight, then it will decrease the fat in the liver. If the person reduces 7 to 10% of his weight, then he decreases liver inflammation and scarring.
There is no proper medication for this fatty liver disease if you are in the grade 2 stage.
Live Expectancy in Fatty Liver Disease
Here, I will tell you how many years you will live and your life expectancy if you are a fatty liver disease patient. I am sharing some statistics to help you understand this disease’s life expectancy.
I researched this disease and found that in the United States, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of liver disease, affecting 24% of adults. According to 2023 research, the rough rate of NAFLD is 11.5% to 46% in the global population.
According to the study, people diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease have a shorter life expectancy because of the high risk of heart failure. Here are some reasons why this heart failure risk happens:
- Insulin resistance
- Chronic Inflammation
- Few changes in the gut microbiota
- Issues with Glucolipid metabolism and some activity in the sympathetic nervous system. Glucolipids are lipids that contain carbs that are linked to them.
According to a study, individuals diagnosed with NAFLD have a 71% risk of heart failure and a life expectancy of 2.8 years compared to those not diagnosed with NAFLD.
What causes fatty liver?
If a person drinks too much alcohol or eats too much food, then a few calories will transform into fat in the body and be stored in the liver cells. You have a fatty liver when the fat is more than 5 to 10% of your weight.
Conclusion:
The article includes causes, symptoms, and treatments for fatty liver disease in grades 1 and 2. According to many doctors, there is no exact medication for this disease. In the initial stage, you are not feeling signs and symptoms of fatty liver, or you can say it is not serious in the first stage.
But I recommend you start caring for your health even though you are in the first stage. Because when your disease transforms from one stage to another, it will be difficult to treat it. In the first stage, it will not hurt or disturb you, but it will change your life in the second.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is fatty liver common in the USA?
In the United States, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of liver disease, affecting 24% of adults. According to 2023 research, the rough rate of NAFLD is 11.5% to 46% in the global population.
What is the most common cause of fatty liver disease in the United States?
Drinking alcohol is one of the most common causes of fatty liver disease in the US.
What not to do if you have a fatty liver?
If you are addicted to alcohol, try to leave it and eat a healthy diet.
How many Americans live with fatty liver?
According to one source, an estimated 100 Million individuals in the US have non-alcoholic diseases.
What are the 3 signs of a fatty liver?
- Weakness
- Sudden Weight loss
- Feeling tired
How do you fix a fatty liver?
There needs to be proper medication or treatment for this disease. You need to maintain a good diet, do physical activities, and exercise like running.